Discussion Topic

Beginning July 2013 the extension policy for campers who have already checked in to the Tuolumne Campground will be changed. Campers will only be allowed to extend their stay before their day of departure if an advance reservation is available. If one is not available, campers should return to the office on their day of departure to inquire about the availability of a first-come, first-serve site.

So can you extend w/o problems 1 day prior? I'm not that good at the interpretation of this.

Sounds like they designate a few sites for first-come-first-serve campers and the rest for reservations. If all the reservation "slots" are taken you are essentially poaching a first-come-first-serve site by extending your reservation. Now you have to get in line with everyone else. (That's my interpretation)

Thats not the way I read it. To me it reads that you can extend your stay if there are advanced reservations available, or if you get in line on the day you are leaving and hope for a first come first served spot. Before I believe you could extend your stay before your last day by being given a first come first served spot, but that has changed and now there has to be an advanced reservation spot available.

1. before your last day if there is an advanced reservation spot available, then you can extend your stay. If not.. then

2 you get in line on your last day like everyone else and hope for a first come first served.

I had several days reserved via on line about 2 weeks before we went. After those reserved days were burnt through I would go up and get in line and get several more days at a time. I think they have so many spots set aside for on line reservations and the rest set aside for first come ....

I've been in that office with a different problem..watched the ranger get on reservation.gov to get people campsites .. he said they use the same site.
the trouble with that site is that it does not pay to cancel your reservation.. so people don't. and they hold them for a full day after the no show. so the sites go empty but the park does not care because they get their cut through the vendor agreement anyway.

"I had several days reserved via on line about 2 weeks before we went. After those reserved days were burnt through I would go up and get in line and get several more days at a time."

Me too, that's what I would do, but that doesn't work this year. As of now, when reserved days are burnt through, you get in line and get ONE more day at a time. You could stay up to two weeks or whatever but you'd have to do that every morning.

As of now, when reserved days are burnt through, you get in line and get ONE more day at a time.

Hey QITNL.. Is this from experience, or just something you heard?

I just spoke to the rangers in Wawona. They called the TM campground and they said that if there are no advanced reservations available, then you have to stand in line on the day you leave and get a site from the first come first served sites, which is half the campground. They said you can get more then one extra day at a time. Up to your 2 week limit. So you do not have to stand in line for every extra day.

I didn't find out what time you should get in line, but the ranger said no one was having trouble this summer since they instituted it.

I can tell you for sure that is not how Pines works anymore. Used to be you could occasionally snag a few days in a row there if you lined up.. but now it's absolutely one day at a time and you have to wait two times each day.. once in morning to sign up and once in afternoon to see what comes available...

Hey John M - that's the policy as stated, confirmed to me at the booth by the ranger kids & by from some friends. I figured it might catch a few folks by surprise. I prepared for it, so speaking from personal experience, I can't confirm. Sometimes the rangers will cut you some slack, particularly when there is lower demand. So I'd go in expecting this policy, you might be able to work around it; if so, awesome.